“With a thunderous crash!” the golden bell utterly shattered, scattering flames of burning gold everywhere, shooting out like shrapnel from a bomb. Xiao Geng’s face drastically changed, but his body swiftly retreated backward.
Everyone was drawn by that earth-shattering noise; even the County Princesses who had wandered off to play rushed over, only to see a single man standing against the wind amidst the rain of golden debris.
His aloof silhouette, handsome features, and domineering aura deeply captivated these unmarried noble ladies.
Luo Ling'er’s worried face instantly bloomed into a joyful smile, her eyes even glistening with faint tears. After so long, Ye Jingyu had finally broken free of the bell.
Not far away, Luo Haitian and the others were filled with astonishment. How could they have imagined that Ye Jingyu was still alive after all this time?
The most shocked, without a doubt, was Xiao Geng. His Master was an eminent sage who roamed the world, and the spirit artifacts he bestowed were all top-tier. Especially this Profound Heaven Bell, forged from ancient, burning gold over a thousand years old and infused with countless celestial fires; its resilience was immense. Even a Martial Saint trapped inside for this long would surely be reduced to ash. Yet, not only was Ye Jingyu alive, but he had smashed the Profound Heaven Bell with a single punch—how was this possible?
“Ah, my apologies. I accidentally lost control of my strength just now and broke your precious item. You’re not going to demand I compensate you, are you?” Ye Jingyu asked with a faint smile, looking at the dumbfounded Xiao Geng.
“You…” Xiao Geng was enraged. It was one thing that this man shattered his Profound Heaven Bell, but now he dared to mock him.
“If I don't kill you today, I swear I am no man!” Xiao Geng roared furiously, shaking the longsword in his hand and lunging at Ye Jingyu once more.
“Are you f***ing human?” Ye Jingyu shot back, unleashing the pent-up fury he held. He stopped holding back, and a sharp blade aura tore through the air, instantly transforming into a massive blade manifestation that fiercely hacked toward the oncoming Xiao Geng.
“Torrential Rain Strike!” Xiao Geng softly exclaimed, shaking his Reversal Soul Sword. Thousands of sword energies materialized from thin air, shooting toward Ye Jingyu like falling raindrops.
These were indomitable sword energies, the kind only achievable by someone at the peak of the Grand Master realm—sword energies capable of wounding Ye Jingyu.
Yet, facing such formidable energy, Ye Jingyu showed no intention of dodging. His Heaven Venerable Blade, still in his hand, continued its unstoppable descent toward Xiao Geng.
If a god blocks, slay the god! If a demon obstructs, butcher the demon!
But Xiao Geng’s figure vanished before him once more. The massive blade manifestation struck the ground heavily, gouging out a colossal rift half a zhang deep and stretching thirty to forty feet long.
“So you’ve mastered a soul technique like instantaneous transfer. That’s why your speed was so incredible,” Ye Jingyu finally understood why Xiao Geng could effortlessly evade his moves.
It wasn't simply that his speed was high; it was because he had cultivated the divine ability of instantaneous teleportation.
“Even so, you are still no match for me. Primal Overlord Battle Sigil!” Knowing Xiao Geng possessed the power of instantaneous transfer, Ye Jingyu showed no fear. He roared, and a golden ripple radiated from before him. The moment the dazzling sword energies contacted this golden ripple, they shattered instantly; not a single strand pierced the golden wave. The tyrannical ripple swept over everything nearby, striking Xiao Geng, who had just teleported beside Ye Jingyu, and blasting him backward violently.
Ye Jingyu’s body vanished from its spot, moving to intercept the scattering sword energies, already closing in on the retreating Xiao Geng. He raised his blade and slashed toward him.
The blinding blade light flared once more. This time, the dark blade manifestation carried a faint trace of purple, appearing impossibly dazzling and captivating in the sky.
Sensing the immense power contained within that strike, Xiao Geng’s expression immediately shifted. With a single-handed toss, the Vajra Bracelet, which had collected Ye Jingyu’s Heaven Shaking Seal, flew out, hurtling toward the blade manifestation…
With a sharp “Clang!” the enormous blade manifestation slammed heavily onto the Vajra Bracelet, instantly knocking it away…
The massive blade continued forward. However, that brief instant the Vajra Bracelet blocked the blow afforded Xiao Geng the chance to reposition. His body vanished again, reappearing hundreds of paces away.
Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth, and his demeanor was already weak. Activating the Profound Heaven Blazing Flames within the Bell earlier had already drained more than half his soul power. Now that the Vajra Bracelet had taken such a heavy blow, even though he was a Soul Master of the Spirit Manifestation realm, he felt acutely distressed.
“Did you think you could escape?” Ye Jingyu sneered, retracting his Heaven Venerable Blade. He grabbed the void with one hand, and a black longbow materialized in his grip. With a gentle pull, the white bowstring and a silver arrow were already formed…
With a “Whoosh!” the arrow, condensed from starlight in Ye Jingyu’s hand, shot out like a black meteor directly toward Xiao Geng.
Xiao Geng felt a surge of terror. Facing the rapidly approaching silver arrow, he had no way to evade it. He could only pour his utmost power into his Reversal Soul Sword, hacking fiercely at the silver projectile.
“Rumble!” A deafening explosion sounded, and dazzling silver light burst outward instantly. The immense force ruthlessly devastated everything nearby. Xiao Geng’s outer clothing was instantly shredded to pieces, and he was on the verge of being submerged by the silver radiance when his Reversal Soul Sword emitted a faint hum, blasting out a blinding beam of blood-red light that completely enveloped Xiao Geng’s body…
The terrifying explosive force blasted Xiao Geng backward, sending a mushroom cloud rising into the air. A massive crater formed in the ground. The layer of blood-red light covering Xiao Geng’s body shattered after blocking ninety-nine percent of the force; the remaining one percent struck Xiao Geng full force…
He immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and several wounds appeared on his body, letting the bright crimson blood stream down…
His body crashed heavily onto the ground…
Everyone simultaneously gasped, realizing at that moment the sheer power contained within Ye Jingyu’s single arrow. But then they recalled how he had perfectly controlled the starlight energy of his arrows when shooting down the great vulture, preventing them from exploding—that level of control was terrifying…
At this moment, not just Qin Yunxiao, but even the Crown Prince, who had always been supremely confident, showed a flicker of fear in his eyes…